


The Hidden Knight

by Phoenixfire513



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Knight Merlin, Knight from another kingdom Merlin with a twist, Magic Revealed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:33:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27005116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoenixfire513/pseuds/Phoenixfire513
Summary: What would happen if king of another kingdom from Merlin's past was  coming to Camelot. What Merlin's past comes back to haunt him. Would Arthur condemn him or help him. All of this and the future of all Camelot is once again resting on the shoulders of a young man his name, Merlin.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Merlin was standing behind Arthur holding a pitcher of water as Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table discussed a few foreign affairs. It was not until the end of the meeting that the last order of business came up causing Merlin to panic.

“Now the last order of business today is the offer of a peace treaty, I have received a letter from King Marius of,” At hearing the name of the king Merlin who had been pouring water into Arthur’s cup jumped spilling the water over Arthur’s lap “Merlin you Idiot, get of here I will deal with you later!!”

Merlin just bowed before he practically ran from the room as if the hounds of hell were chasing him not noticing the worried looks from everyone at the table. “Sire do you think Merlin is alright he seemed pretty spooked when you mentioned King Marius?” Lancelot asked worried about his friend.

“I will check on him later but back to the matter at hand, I have accepted the offer of a meeting at the very least as I have no choice. But judging from that reaction that Merlin just had I am beginning to wonder if I did not make a mistake.” Arthur sighed as he ran his hand through his hair “You all dismissed we will meet again in two days before King Marius is due to arrive.”   
Merlin had run back to Gaius’s chambers knowing that the physician would be in the lower town at this time of day and right into his room. He sat on his bed in a panic. After a few deep breaths, he got down on the floor and pulled up a different loose floorboard then the one that held his magic books and pulled out a beautifully crafted sword. The blade was folded steel that seemed to ripple like water and had a slight blue tinge to it. The hilt was leather wrapped obsidian with two dragonheads on with sides of the cross guard and a blue gem inlaid on the   
center of the hilt. 

This sword was one known to belong to a knight in King Marius’s army who had been one of the four elite. He had also been ruthless and cruel in the eyes of many but not many knew that he was forced to be that way, and then all of a sudden he had vanished when Merlin was fifteen and was never heard from again. As he stared at the sword he remember the memories that came with what this sword meant to him as slow tears made their way down his cheeks. Merlin was so deep in thought he did not notice that his uncle Gaius his walked in to his room and saw the blade in his hands until he heard his uncle gasp in shock. Merlin stood quickly sword in hand but not in a striking position ready to defend himself if need be until he saw that it was his uncle who was in the room and he then started to panic again.

“Merlin where did you get that sword?” Gaius asked slightly wary of how Merlin had gotten such a famed blade.

“I guess I have to tell you now as it will come out in a few days anyway when King Marius gets here.” He spat the name of the king with such hatred Gaius knew something was wrong.

“Merlin you can tell me anything, I will do my best to help you.” Gaius soothed his nephew hoping that everything would be alright.

“Have you ever heard of a knight by the name of Ambrosius?” Merlin asked when Gaius nodded, he continued “Then you know the atrocities that he has committed but what most don’t know is that I was forced to commit them. When I was six the original three elite came, to Ealdor they were going to destroy the village but I stood up when everyone else cowered. They were impressed by it and offered me a deal, I would go with them and train to be a knight for their king and they would spare the village or they would raze the village to the ground. I took the deal because I could not let anything happen to my home. Little did I know what I had just signed up for. For the next three years I was trained and I surpassed every other knight their some even older than I was I was a natural with many weapons. However, the thing is I had to shut off all emotion because if I did not I would not have survived with my sanity intact. The way the knights in Marius’s army are trained is never show Mercy, Never leave an enemy alive even if they are unarmed and already down you strike the killing blow. Every knight was trained in the way that if you lost your fight against a fellow knight you were killed for it after being knighted that law came into effect. After the first time I showed Mercy I knew it was just kinder to end their life by my own hand then have them killed by the others as punishment for my mercy as it was monstrous what they did to the man.”

Merlin paused for a moment taking a shuddering breath “by the time I was twelve I had been knighted and made one of the elite four because of the ruthlessness I displayed and my skill with a blade. The king knew my magic when I was thirteen by accident when we were told to destroy one of the outlying villages because they had failed to send in their monthly grain supply to the castle. The king thought I had lit the village on fire to cause more pain and panic but the truth was that I hated what I was forced to do and my magic reacted to my emotions thus the fire. Therefore, in reward he gave to me a young boy by the name of Bran he was only eight but already knew the hardship of living in Marius’s kingdom. He was an orphan who even though he had been through so much hardship was still so innocent it was because of him I did not lose myself completely. He brought be back from the point of no return, He brought back my humanity, and unlocked my emotions that I had buried since I had come to Marius’s court. However, it was found out that I was planning to leave with Bran taking him away from that hell. So in punishment while I was away on business for the king they took Bran and had him burned alive.” Merlin let out a small sob as he remembered the burnt corpse of the boy he had come to love like a little brother who had been killed because of him.

Once he had gotten his emotions back under control, he kept going with his story “I lost all will to keep fighting the regimen that had been inflicted on me then. But right after I turned fifteen the other three elite and I were sent to destroy another village but when it came into view all I could hear was Bran’s voice telling me this was not who I was that I did not need to do this. I could not bear to let him down even though he was gone so I used my magic to knock the others out and then cast a sleeping spell that would keep them out for at least a day with memory loss upon waking. I then rode into the village and told them to pack what they could carry and run. They just stared at me for a moment before I told them I never wanted to be what they had forced me to become and I was trying to save their lives. Soon after many where already leaving the village when a young boy who looked so much like Bran ran up to me and hugged me saying “I knew you would make the right choice, Don’t go back, run and save yourself too.” Before the boy ran back to his family and left. I decided to follow his advice and I ran as well I went back home to my mother. I thought she would turn me away because of what I had done but she welcomed me with open arms. I was only home for a year before I was sent here to protect me and so I could hopefully get help from you with my magic because it had become so strong. However, I never expected that they would come here. If they do it will spell disaster as Marius never does peace treaties in the normal sense he uses them as a way to find out his enemy’s defenses and Camelot would be a crown jewel to him. I have to stop him but I am afraid that I will have to become who I once was to do so and that scares me. I don’t know if I could come back if I do shut off my emotions again to do what I know I will have to do.” By the end of his tale, Merlin was in tears weeping uncontrollably wondering now what he was going to do.


	2. chapter 2

Chapter 2

Gaius was floored at what he had just been told but he also could tell his nephew was very frightened about what was to come. Sighing lightly before he sat beside his nephew saying “Merlin, you said you were forced to be that way but that is not who you really are. If that was who you were then you would not have save me when you first came here, You would not have saved Arthur after he had acted as he did. No, that kind, caring young man is who you really are. You do not need to fear becoming that again because no one is forcing you to become that anymore. Your emotions have become your greatest strength, it seems King Marius thinks of emotion as a weakness so use what you know is your greatest strength against him. Show him you are not what he tried to make you, show everyone that.”

“How Gaius, how do I do that when it is well known that Ambrosius had magic and magic is forbidden in Camelot on pain of death?” Merlin asked not seeing a way out of this.

“You know Arthur is not his father and would at least listen to you argument if you do this right.” Gaius then had an idea “Merlin do you still have your Armor as well?” Merlin nodded looking confused “Good then get dressed as Ambrosius with your face shrouded until you see me. Go to the training field but do not show yourself till you see me. Once you do,” Gaius went on to explain his plan that would help Merlin tell Arthur and the people of Camelot the truth so that they can be prepared for what was to come and would listen to what he knew. 

At first Merlin was against this but soon enough understood that doing it this way might be the only way he could get Arthur to see that he was serious and that Marius was a major threat to Camelot. Soon enough Gaius left to start his part of the plan while Merlin got dressed and made his way to the training field hoping that this would work. 

Arthur was training his knights but his mind was wondering to Merlin’s reaction to King Marius coming here there was something off about it like he knew the king which was impossible as Estire was not in Marius’s domain. He made the decision that he was going to go talk with Merlin as soon as training was over. Arthur was broken out of his thoughts when Gwaine’s sword almost hit him in the hip. 

“You should not let yourself be distracted in a fight King Arthur, Camelot needs you now more than ever.” A voice sounded towards his left. 

Arthur called a halt to training as he turned towards the voice but who he saw had him instantly on guard but not ready to attack this man as he knew how his story well thanks to a reliable source. “You are right about that. What are you doing here Sir Ambrosius I hope you are not here to harm Camelot as I know your story and hope that you change of heart still remains.”

“I am here to offer my help, Marius does not do peace treaties in the normal sense when he offers a treaty he is actually going to come with his remaining three Elite and while in talks with you his Elite will be walking around looking to all to only be touring the sights of Camelot, but in actuality they will be cataloging everything that can be used against you from guard patrols to the way the lower town is laid out. Anything and everything that can be used against you then once the talks are over no matter which way the go they will be back within three days time with Marius’s full Army at their back and they will take the city in a matter of hours because of all the information gathered while here.”

“What can we do to stop them? Why bring this information to us as I know you used to be one of them?” Arthur asked

“Because I was forced to be the way I was for so long and I cannot see another place especially not Camelot fall to him. I cannot see more innocents die because of his lust for power.” Everyone could hear the pain in Ambrosia’s voice as he continued “I offer my help in any way that I can if you will have me. I can help you stop him, I have to ability to even if it scares me.” The last few words came out in barley a whisper but it was heard clearly by all.

The silence that rang out at that offer was deafening but before Arthur could say anything a young man spoke up “Ambrosius is that you?”


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ambrosius turned towards the voice and could not help the tears that formed in his eyes as the man who had called out to him looked so much like Bran would have had he lived to grow up. He could not help the pain in his voice as he replied “May I help you? If I have hurt someone close to you I will place myself at the mercy of Camelot after this threat is dealt with. It’s nothing more than I deserve, you have my word.”

The young man walked over to him a watery smile on his face as and as he spoke a tear rolled down his cheek quickly followed by another “It’s so good to see you again. Do you remember the young boy who ran over and hugged you saying he knew you would make the right choice when you let that village go?”

“Yes I do, It was him who convinced me to run, to get out before I lost myself forever. I owe everything to that boy.” Ambrosius said with a smile of remembrance.

“I am glad you did run, but did you ever wonder why he knew you would make the right choice?” the young man asked with a knowing smile.

Ambrosius looked at the young man closely “I have wondered that for a long time, how do you know all this?” he whispered brokenly.

“Because that was me, I was that little boy. Do you recognize this?” The young man asked holding up a medallion that seemed to glow a little.

Ambrosius’s breath hitched as he reached out and gently held the medallion as if it was a precious gift as he spoke “I gave this to one I thought of as a younger brother, I was going to get us out and take us far away from that hell. Somehow, they found out. I was ordered to go out on some business for Marius, but it was a way to get me out of the way.” His voice broke as he started to say what had happened, “When I returned I was shown his burnt body, he was burnt beyond recognition. I lost my will to keep fighting them, as my reason for fighting was gone. But when I saw that village knowing what they wanted me to do, I heard his voice like he was right there beside me and I knew I could not do it. So I made sure everyone got away and they were safe. As I ran all I could think about was that boy who gave me the strength to run and I could not help but be grateful to him.” Looking at the young man in front of him “How did you get this medallion, who are you?” everyone around could hear the hope in the man’s voice.

“I think you already know, you enchanted this medallion for me and you can take it off. You made it that way so that no one could hurt me while you weren’t there. The burnt body you saw was someone who could pass as me. They burnt him and sent me to that village knowing it was slated for attack. The boy who hugged you in that village and the boy who loves you as an older brother and protector is me.”

“Bran! It can’t be!” Ambrosius cried out as everyone could see he was holding himself back from grabbing the young man in front of him.

The young man smiled “It is me Ambrosius, its really me and I am proud of you. You may not have ran away with me like we planned but you still kept your promise to me of a better life when you let that village go because it led us here. In addition, even now you protect us when we most need it. However, you need to stop hiding from those who care about you, this is your home now just as much as mine. It is time to stop hiding so drop the last thing tying you to King Marius. Drop the name Ambrosius as we both know that that is not who you are, that is what they made you. You can’t fight him or the other elite when you fear becoming what they made you again.”

Arthur nodded to himself “Your friend is right, You can’t fight to your full potential if you fear becoming what they made you again. If I understand this correctly you have been here in Camelot a long time without knowing that Bran, and the whole village you saved took sanctuary here. You also seem to have friends that you are close to you here, that you are afraid of them finding out about your past. I promise you if they really care about you, they will accept you as you are, so drop the name become who you really are in full. Just because they gave the the skills you have does not make you what they wanted you to be. As your king I order you to remove your helmet and tell us who you really are.”

Ambrosius took a deep breath and kneeled before Arthur as a knight pledging himself to his king “I never wanted to hurt anyone, I lied to those I cared about because my past would only hurt them. The man I serve became my closest friend but everyone knows that Ambrosius has magic and I did not want him to have to lie for me. I wanted to tell him but I could not risk that king Uther would have executed me for it, as many things threaten my friend. I know if the situation was different, I would have told him a long time ago. When I came here I found a man, king worth serving but I am afraid that he will hate me for lying to him for so long. I have served him for the last eight years at first I thought he was a huge prat I could not stand him. But after a while he showed me that he was much more than he showed, I found a man I would follow into the pits of hell itself if he asked it of me. So before I show you my face know that no matter what happens, no matter your decisions about me I am happy to have served you, I will continue to serve you till the day I die, and may I say you have finally learned to listen as well as you fight and I am glad to have met you King Arthur Pendragon, my one true king.” 

“Merlin, is that you?” Arthur asked in shock

Merlin removed his helmet but they could see he was terrified of Arthur’s reaction but he stood tall as he said “Yes, sire it’s me. But before you say anything know that I believe in the king you are and I will protect Camelot and you till the day I die whether that be by your hand or not. All I ask is that if you plan to pass judgment on me wait until this threat has passed before passing it. If you want me dead for my lies and my past I can’t blame you I am not asking you to go against the laws for me just asking for a delay so I can protect you one last time then I place myself at your mercy. My life will be yours to do with as you will as it has been since the day I became your manservant and friend.” Merlin kneeled down at Arthur’s feet hoping his friend would give him the time to save him before he passed his judgment of death on him, as it was no more than he deserved.


End file.
